Thursday, December 31, 2009

Hahaha... He "screwed around" with us guys... Boy did he ever... He messed with us soooo much he actually went through with something that even the NeoCon minions didn't think he would. Ha. Ha. Ha. Jokes on us - All Canadians. This "government" is a joke. What to expect from a party that doesn't believe in government. They always thought MPs in Ottawa were just "feeding at the trough" and doing nothing else. When they got there, they decided that they would "make it so", and have done NOTHING but waste tax-payers money, create a massive new debt, and scorn, deride, and begin to tear apart the institution of Parliament with their searing contempt of it...

Running from accusations of possible war crimes. Running from gross mis-management. Now they're attacking the civil service. Their end days are near...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Conservative reaction that they (and, in their hopes, the public) don't care about the Afghan prisoner issue is putting our troops in danger. Even IF we "don't care" about them (the Afghans), or that place (Afghanis-nam), we SHOULD care about the welfare of OUR TROOPS who are at greater risk due to the Conservative cover-up. And the government's attitude since is simply inflaming the issue. If I'm an Afghan warlord/Taliban nut-job, I'm going to make sure I put clips of Harper and the Cons' reaction to the matter in their propaganda... It certainly would help recruit more fighters - and make them fight against us much harder. "Support our troops", my ass. The Conservatives only care about covering their own coverup. Harper and his party's words of late have done more to put our troops in harms way than ANY opposition criticism of the government's conduct of the war ever has... The Opposition voices their concern based on concern for the troops and for Canadians working abroad.

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Official Opposition in our Parliamentary system has a constitutional obligation to be the government’s principal watchdog and critic – asking the toughest questions on every topic, constantly challenging the government’s record.

A Parliamentary democracy is, by definition, adversarial. That’s how accountability is achieved. So, almost every day, the Opposition finds itself taking the negative side of every debate.

But that’s only half the job. The other half is generating constructive ideas to form the policy agenda of an alternative government. As 2009 winds down, Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals have been focusing more and more on this positive side of being the Official Opposition.

For example, from early childhood development through skills training and access to post-secondary education, we’re working on a package of ideas to make Canadians the most educated and competitive people in the world.

On another front, we have proposed legislation to move this country toward pay equity between women and men. Liberals believe it’s wrong for women to be paid 30 to 40 percent less than their male counterparts. We believe fixing this discrimination is a matter of human rights.

For rural Canada, a new Liberal agenda is emerging, including a guarantee of rural postal services. Under the Conservatives since 2006, these services have markedly deteriorated. Liberals would stop the decay by putting a moratorium on the closure of rural post offices.

The Liberal Opposition has also been leading a campaign to safeguard Canadian pensions. The government promised to make this a priority nearly a year ago, but they’ve done nothing so far and seem extremely reluctant to tackle this challenge.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Note to political parties: You don't let your teenage kids the leeway to run your website. Yes, we all know we are a party full of youth and youthful direction - but that youth needs guidance (as in any facet of life).

We have a good example of what happens if a party tries too hard to attract youth... When a party with no youth wing desperately tries to curry favor with the youth vote. That example is the train-wreck that is the Harper "war-room".

We don't need to stoop to that level - and we're not desperate to attract youth. We're the youngest party of the two major ones. We have a new core of strategists, and the Don-OLO... We've got Warren dishing out smack talk like Ali in Manila.

Okay. So it WAS silly fun that went too far. It was dealt with, and now it's over. We didn't defend it until the media came to roost (like the Puffin Poop incident which went for days before an apology was given)...

Done deal. Let's carry on.

Oh yeah. One more thing: Now that the incident has occurred, and the offending images removed, I think we'll have a record number of Canadians go to the site and laugh at the other images.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Wrote a lot of this in response to a great post by KNB about Harper's dismantling of Canada...

The "Harper Deception" is slowly beginning to choke the workings of the nation. His party has lowered the goalposts of government performance and responsibility.

Our nation has been duped into settling for a complete lack of vision in Ottawa, but frighteningly, have also been lulled to sleep while "the Hill burns". Harper and his Reform-a-Tory hacks are laying waste to Canada's government mechanism, bureaucracy, and Parliamentary system.

Harper was smart enough to (after several attempts) connect with the right snake-oil salespeople (ie: PR folks)... Working the doorsteps and C-Trains in Calgary, I recall the comments: "Oh, he's such a good looking man... Blonde hair, and those blue eyes..." Seriously. People think "old lizard-eyes" is good looking. I guess it's all the power behind the suit... Anyways...

The "perceived genius" surrounding the Harper team is slowly getting whittled away. His flaws are pretty apparent. He should have had a massive (1993-like) majority last election. Instead, Canadians REJECTED him BECAUSE OF his Conservatism, and NeoCon ideas.

Remember, Harper was the 2-time loser going into the "Sponsorship Election", and then he barely squeaked out a win DESPITE HIS IDEOLOGY. Ignatieff hasn't even lost an election yet, and he has looked positively brilliant at times (and... "not so" at others). Still, Harper should be a lot more polished by now... Ignatieff is a new leader.

Minority or not, Harper is in his second term right now. Even in "real years", his party has passed the 4 year mark, roughly, and is into the years which would typically represent a second full term in a majority. People will get tired of his games - and they are. Public enquiries into scandals are coming. He was dying for a majority, JUST so he could escape the wraith of the enquiries, but it won't be that easy. The free media are waking up. Even old Con stalwarts have some questions and concerns.

We should worry about our Parliamentary democracy being diluted and dissolved. True, we can change some things back, if the Cons push them through, but it's the gradual dismantling of the institutions and traditions of government that concern me. Used to be there were certain protocols in Parliament, and in government. What the Reform-a-Tories have done is break the rules first, then, if not caught, keep breaking them. Otherwise, lie, fabricate, and tell the public/media, "we have a different interpretation of the rules".

Imagine a football game where 10 yards give you a first down. In Steve Harper's world, it's 6 yards, and he's going to tell you so. If the ref complains, Harp will fire the ref. If the reporter in the press box tries to report the truth, Harp's friends who own the paper will simply "edit" the report, change the title to one less damaging (or completely "friendly"), or sub the report with a "national editorial".

Time to get back to real football, and end the "personally foul" government of Harper.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Harper/Reform-a-Tory apologists want to wrap themselves in the flag, and lie about how the rest of us "don't support the troops". Their current line of retort is that "Canadians Don't Care" about the scandal and coverup.

Really?

Well, as usual, they're WRONG on that account.

What the Harper Conservative non-chalant attitude on torture has done, is succeeded in painting a much bigger target on our troops (whom we ALL love dearly), and our civilian citizenry around the world - and in Canada.

Harperites have helped create a more dangerous situation for our troops. Fewer civilian Afghans will trust our men and women in uniform - especially if they were family members of the many who were wrongly imprisoned - and tortured. Many more will be tempted to join the other side. Further, the enemy - the Taliban - will fight harder, knowing they may end up imprisoned and tortured if captured. All this is bad news for our troops, and begins the rest of the World down the path of questioning the professional stature of our great armed forces... and leadership. In many developing countries, the professional armed forces of Canada and the UK are a beacon of established excellence the World tries to immitate. In many of those nations civilian unrest and chaos has been quetted by the professional militaries built in the Commonwealth tradition.

Harper and his clown troop DO NOT support the troops - they simply HIDE BEHIND THEM, and USE THEM for their own political (perceived) gain.

But it's not just the troops who suffer. Our brave men and women of the RCMP, and many other civilian agencies, toil day and night making life better for the Afghan people (and people in other parts of the world). Their lives suddenly got more difficult for the same reasons as above. They will also have a less trustful populace to work with. This becomes more true the longer our government continues the suspected cover-up (as reported by many media outlets).

Canada's image has been tarnished on the international level. Most Conservatives couldn't care less (the same case as with Kyoto, etc., etc., etc.). They will distance themselves from the World, telling Canadians they're more "concerned" about Canadians... Of course they forget how interconnected and close we are with the rest of the World in these modern times. And they want Canadians to forget...

Meanwhile, the rest of us are also in increased danger. We travel a lot, and suddenly, "nice friendly Canada" has become viewed a little differently by the rest of the World. In the 70s and 80s, and into the 90s, even as part of NATO we were viewed as "pseudo-neutral", and "honest brokers" of World discussion and engagement. In a few short years the Harper Government has squandered much of that international good-will and trust. We are scorned and ridiculed in international forums (particularly those where the Harper government is involved). It will take many years, and a new government to put back what the Harper Reform-a-Tories have torn asunder in a few minority years...

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Peter MacKay MUST resign for the allegations and pursuant "cover-up" perpetrated by this Harper Government over the Afghan POW scandal.

Further investigation MUST go forward, to determine who knew how much in the PMO - since we know EVERYTHING is scoured by "El Capitano" Harper, Megalomaniac In Chief...

This is all necessary due to this scathing reversal of testimony by our Chief of Defense staff. It is apparent that even our Defense Department got tired of covering up Conservative lies.

Next step please. Bring on the public enquiry. Start determining who violated Geneva Conventions, and bring them to justice to spare Canada's international reputation - one that has been increasingly tarnished since Harper's ascendance to the PMO.

Monday, December 07, 2009

One word that would quite succinctly describe the Harper Reform-a-Torys' brutally juvenile and ideologically bent rape of the Canadian economy.

Now, the Reformatory attack dogs will be slack-jaw-"edly" placing their childish comments to this blog... straight outta that big CCHQ (Constant Campaign HQ) in Ottawa. We, quite frankly, don't care. A blunt assessment of Canada's current economic "unstable ground" is warranted, and much, much needed.

Ralph Goodale - of the multi-billion dollar contingency fund/rainy day fund Liberal budgets - has a very good assessment on this situation. He speaks as an expert who has navigated the troubled waters of recessions, and knows how to operated when it's smooth sailing. This is in stark contrast to the "best" Conservative option: a former neoCon provincial FinMin who devastated the last economy he tried to manage in Ontario.

Here's Ralph's assessment of the current devastation in Ottawa's Finances:

MR. HARPER’S VICTIMS BEGIN ACCUMMULATING

Two years ago, I predicted harsh consequences would flow from Stephen Harper’s ideological style of government. Sadly, the bad news is coming true.

The Conservatives turned a $13 billion annual surplus into a $56 billion deficit. They inherited (from Liberals) $100 billion of financial flexibility over five years. But they used that all up in less than three years.

Federal debt has surpassed $500 billion. And Canadians are faced with the prospect of five more years of red ink, sinking another $170 billion in the hole.

Here’s another telling point. Who’s the ONLY Leader to increase the tax burden on Canadians since 1997? Answer: Stephen Harper!

First he hiked your personal income taxes. Then he dinged the Income Trusts in your retirement plan with a brutal 31.5% Conservative tax. Next, he has announced a job-killing $13 billion payroll tax on every employer and employee in Canada.

This is Mr. Harper’s legacy – deficits, debt and higher taxes. All totally predictable! And remember, all this trouble began BEFORE there was any recession to blame!

But there are other shoes to fall.

Mr. Harper is about to slash federal programs and services, claiming they’re no longer “affordable” because of the deficit the Conservatives themselves created.

Who will be their victims? When they first came to office, they slashed support for volunteerism, women’s programs, child care, literacy services, students, low-income legal services, etc.

Since then, they’ve also chopped cost-of-production guarantees for farmers, money for rural roads, and the PFRA.

Most recently, the Harper Conservatives cut 90% of the funding for democratic observers to monitor the January presidential elections in Ukraine. And they’ve killed the entire budget for KAIROS, an organization of the Catholic, United, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Mennonite and Quaker churches, working on human rights.

Monday, November 30, 2009

One wonders, just HOW does a party that believes in "no government" actually go about planning to "manage" an economy.

Answer: They simply don't.

Call it the "Harper Auto-pilot"... The "sleep-walking government"... Asleep at the wheel...

IS CANADA READY TO TACKLE ITS FUTURE?

Because of collapsing potash revenues, the Saskatchewan economy has dropped into a sudden slump.

Nationally, while the Harper government boasts about “recovery” from a painful year of recession, Employment Insurance claims have recently shot up again, personal bankruptcies remain high, the country is running a trade deficit for the first time in 30 years, and any new economic growth is sluggish at best.

Public opinion polls say most Canadians think this country is now in long-term decline. Their personal prospects seem mediocre. They’re more worried about falling behind than they are excited about getting ahead.

These negative feelings are justified. One of Canada’s most respected independent financial analysts, Mr. Dale Orr, calculated last week that the standard of living across Canada dropped by more than 4% since 2007.

It’s significant to note the year in which that decline began – 2007 – long before the onset of any recession (which started late in 2008).

In others words, after steady national growth all through the tenure of Liberal governments (1993 – 2006), the country began to slip economically after only two years of Conservative rule.

The Harper regime seems oblivious to this hard reality. Finance Minister Flaherty says he plans no new government action in the year ahead – except for a whopping $13 billion increase in “payroll taxes” (i.e., much higher employment insurance premiums hitting both employers and employees).

But what about the massive insecurity surrounding pensions and retirement incomes?

What about heavy household debt and rising bankruptcies?

What about big gaps in child care and elder care across this country? What about unaffordable education costs? What about the stunning lack of real investment in innovation, science and technology? What about the steady degradation of our natural environment?

It’s no wonder a lot of middle-income Canadians are increasingly uneasy.

Look for some meaningless statements from Harper: "We've tried so hard to solve this problem... but the (insert nation/group/target here) just weren't willing to come to the table..." Or... "This was a key step in the path to a solution" (that Canada did not even come close to leading on...)...

Canada has been dubbed in international pariah by nations serious about solving global warming/climate change. Let's hope the Harper Conservatives are shamed into acting by the Obama-effect/aura. Wishful thinking really. Harper (and more importantly - his base) have their lips firmly affixed to the base of every oil rig in Alberta.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

While most federal Conservative MPs pretend to have some degree of education or talent, most Liberals don't have to pretend...

We've seen over the past four years what lack of intellect and thought-provoking policy has done to "Canada's New Government". We have Prime Minister who is a simp when compared to ANY of our past PMs. A man who is a mental midget with a one-track policy-mind. A man who looks like the boorish embarrassing uncle that isn't exactly worldy... The Boris Yeltsin (minus the education) of Canada.

It's what you get when you elect the party of "little thinkers". A party that prefers the lowest common denominator over mental stimulation and nation-building. A party that prefers dark-age revisionism over challenging and taking on the problems of today.

We may be at last election levels in the polls, but we have NOTHING to be embarrassed about. We have nothing to worry about either, because WHEN we get our collective shit together - and it won't be long (the pieces are being placed) - we will be annihilating the conservative scourge. They know it, and they fear it.

Liberals have always been the representatives of the forward thinking groups in societies. No matter in which nation, or in which time period, Liberal thought has been the engine of change and growth. Liberals have talent. Liberals have skills. Liberals have the ability to view issues through many different perspectives.

What led us into this early AM blog-ramble? Kinsella's painting. Seriously. We've got talent. It never amazes what hidden talents so many Liberals have. It's what differentiates us from the neanderthals of the political world. That painting shows us another thing: A liberal is a person who can perceive the world in varying perspectives. The true representation of the term Liberal, or "libra"... The balanced person.

Stephen Harper went to India... Because the Liberals (Ignatieff, in particular) have been talking about how the Harper Cons have abandoned relationships with India and China, and squandered the hard work of the "Team Canada" trade missions led by Chretien and Martin (which generated literally hundreds of signed business deals)...

In his very brief visit Harper paid lip-service to bi-lateral relations, talked up the "terrorist" angle, and committed to nothing of consequence.

One thing Harper DID manage is an affront to Sikhs everywhere: his photo-op at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Apparently, greedy for the "big score" photo-op, Harper's entourage drove directly from the airport to the temple (along with throngs of security) for the pics. At the temple, Harper REFUSED TO PARTAKE IN THE SIKH PARSHAD (equivalent of Holy Communion), and REFUSED TO PARTAKE IN THE LANGAR (free kitchen).

The langar part is the biggest insult to the community. One is never to attend a temple/gurdawara, and not have the free lunch. The lunch is symbolic as a means of bringing people of all backgrounds and stations in life together. Of course, something like that would mean nothing to Harper - "Great dis-uniter" that he is.

For hundreds of years the Gurdawara kitchens have been open to the hungry and the homeless - as well as the Sikh community at large. The simple act of partaking in the lunch (vegetarian Indian food) would have gone miles to show respect for the culture, as well as some semblance of understanding - or at least the wish to understand the votes he is so eagerly and callously attempting to buy.

What an insult to Canadians of South Asian heritage. While Liberal governments in the past made honest efforts to work with and advance South Asian communities, Harper's shock troops have chosen a different path. They have insulted Sikhs and South Asians (look back through comments about "new Canadians and ghettoes", "hot-headed Sikhs", etc.), then appointed the Minister of the "hot-headed" comment to the portfolio.. so he can shamelessly talk about "curry-in-a-hurry", and think he can buy votes with nothing but some lip service and an awkward smile...

C'mon now... What exactly does a right-wing, fundamentalist Christian from the Prairies REALLY want with these South Asian "heathen" he is so eager to befriend? What could it be??? Hmmm???

Smile and be nice to me, while you work to remove any measures ever put in to help me become a more equal citizen in this great land...

Shame.

edit: Apparently there were quite a few ruffled feathers over at the SGPC (the body that operates all Sikh Temples worldwide, and has a larger budget than the Indian State of Punjab - where the Golden Temple is located). The Harpoon squad had many people removed from the temple - not for security reasons, but simply because they were not wanted.

What do you think of Stephen Harper using your tax dollars on partisan junk-mail – some of it outright hate-mail – pumped into millions of homes across Canada?

Never before has a Canadian political party stooped so low to slander their opponents and then send taxpayers the bill.

Financial reports published last week by the House of Commons exposed Conservative M.P.’s severely abusing their Parliamentary mailing privileges. They have racked up $6.3 million in postage costs (on top of their regular office budgets) to stuff millions of vile pamphlets into mail-boxes in Opposition-held constituencies.

These mailings are riddled with personal attacks, falsehoods, smears and innuendoes. The Speaker of the House has already ruled some of them out of order. Others have been so bad, the Conservatives themselves have had to stand up and apologize.

The worst example is probably a Conservative flyer recently sent to thousands of Jewish homes accusing non-Conservatives of anti-Semitism.

It was absolutely outrageous, provoking prominent Jewish Canadians to condemn such propaganda. They don’t want to be considered the “property” of any one political party; nor do they condone such dishonest tactics that sew division and hatred.

First elected to the House of Commons in 1974, I have never seen a more bitter and abusive atmosphere around Parliament Hill than that which exists today. It’s toxic!

In an adversarial political system, like ours, there will always be conflicts. But Mr. Harper and his brand of neo-conservatives have carried junk-yard dog behaviour to extraordinary lengths.

Self righteous and sanctimonious in the extreme, the Harper Conservatives actually believe they are morally superior to everybody else. So (they think) it’s “OK” to treat all others like dirt.

That nasty attitude erodes the tolerance, fairness, accommodation and generosity which have always been fundamental to the basic decency that defines our country.

OTTAWA -- The federal transport minister's office privately pleaded with Canada's big airlines to step up their lobby campaign to kill a proposed passenger bill of rights even as the minister publicly rallied behind the popular initiative, according to internal documents obtained by Canwest News Service.

The motion by Newfoundland Liberal MP Gerry Byrne, calling on the government to bring forward a bill to entrench a passenger bill of rights into law, passed in the House of Commons unanimously last year, but only after a high-ranking political operative in then-transport minister Lawrence Cannon's office tried to scuttle the whole thing.

The effort to kill the motion is revealed in correspondence sent from the minister's office to top executives and lobbyists at Air Canada, WestJet Airlines and Air Transat. The government intended the block the release of these passages and others in response to an Access to Information request, but the full, uncensored documents were sent to Canwest News Service -- apparently by mistake.

"Gentleman, you're going to have to do some lobbying to stop this motion in its tracks," the minister's senior policy adviser at the time, Paul Fitzgerald, told officials at Canada's largest airlines in March 2008.

"If you don't lobby the Grits and the Block (sic), we're going to find ourselves in a position where we are outvoted by the opposition parties."

A few months later, Mr. Cannon and John Baird, the current transport minister, were among Conservative cabinet ministers and MPs who voted for the motion.

The initiative, popular among consumers, was guaranteed to pass with the support of the three opposition parties, which outnumber Tory MPs.

At the time of the June 2008 vote, opposition MPs were skeptical the Conservative government would carry through on the motion calling for legislation to strengthen the rights of airline passengers.

Other private correspondence intended to be blacked out but released to Canwest News Service -- coming from both the minister's office and a senior bureaucrat at Transport Canada's civil aviation branch -- indicate the skepticism was well-founded.

In a two-page critique for senior bureaucrats about why a passenger bill of rights, modelled on rules in the European Union, was not necessary or desirable, Fitzgerald said the European rights focus on denied boarding, cancelled flights and delays "in an industry known for regularly overbooking passengers, cancelling undersold flights and making refunds difficult."

But he said the "motion would do almost nothing in terms of advancing the cause of passenger rights" because Canada's airline tariffs provide better protection for Canadian passengers than those found in the European bill of rights.

In response, the director general of air policy at Transport Canada, Brigita Gravitis-Beck, wrote to the assistant deputy minister of policy to explain the bureaucracy had no appetite for any legislation to codify the rights of airline passengers in Canada.

"We are on the same page" as the minister's office, Ms. Gravitis-Beck said. "I am quite concerned that in a minority government, this may pass for political reasons that have nothing to do with logic."

Since the motion passed last year, the Conservative government has not moved forward with legislation to strengthen the rights of airline passengers.

A private member's bill, modelled on the European Union's 2005 Airline Passenger Bill of Rights and authored by Manitoba NDP MP Jim Maloway, cleared an important legislative hurdle last spring when it passed second reading in the House ofCommons with Bloc and Liberal MPs supporting the bill, which is currently being studied by the transport committee.

The government is also dragging its feet on legislation, which passed in the Senate more than two years ago, requiring airlines to advertise the full price of airfares.

The bill to update key sections of the Canada Transportation Act received royal assent on June 22, 2007. A last-minute amendment in the Senate to delay implementation of the airfare advertising provision was slipped in so consultations could be held to sort out how to move forward without harming domestic airlines.

No formal consultations have been held as yet, and it is now up to the federal cabinet to set an implementation date.

Too little, too late. When Harper is disinterested in something, or if he dislikes something, he pays it some lip-service, feigns interest, and tries to dupe we the Canadian people into believing he is doing something. Here is Ralph Goodale's take on the current China trip, and what Harper's dislike for China has done to Saskatchewan's economy...

Remember: Harper is the PM who basically said, "screw the world, we're going to focus on the Americas"...

MR. HARPER PLAYING “CATCH-UP” IN CHINA

With much fanfare, Stephen Harper is travelling to Asia this fall, most especially to China. It’s about time!

He’s only four years late! And now, he’s very much on the defensive, struggling to do damage control, instead of pushing Canada ahead.

For four years, Mr. Harper’s attitude toward China has been openly hostile. Driven by extreme ideology and an amateur’s approach to diplomacy, he tried to influence China’s human rights record by long-distance lectures and calculated insults (including his personal boycott of the Beijing Olympics).

Such tactics have damaged Canada’s credibility. And Saskatchewan feels the consequences.

One of our key exports to China is potash. That market has been in trouble for months. And the trouble is hitting the finances of the Saskatchewan government. Provincial revenues are down. Programs and services for people in Saskatchewan are being cut back because potash sales to China have not been going well.

So what has Mr. Harper been doing to help? In a word – nothing!

Copying the highly successful “Team Canada” trade missions, which begun under Liberal governments, this Prime Minister should have been in China a long time ago – with Premiers and business leaders – strengthening the personal, governmental and business relationships upon which trade with China depends.

Specifically, Stephen Harper should have been playing a direct, personal role in correcting the potash problem for Saskatchewan.

But he was in no position to do so. To repair the damage done by his ineffectual petulance, he now has to mend fences and play catch-up, just to get Canada back into the game.

Mr. Harper’s timing couldn’t be worse. His belated visit comes when China has the upper hand in bargaining, and the Chinese are preoccupied with the more impressive visit of Barack Obama.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Harper's little spokes-"man" - Little PeePee Polliviere (sp?) stated that the Harper government believes THEIR opinion is more important than The Supreme Court's decisions.

We would like to begin with some comparisons to Central Western Europe in the 1930s, but will resist that easy measure.

This is dispicable on the part of this OUTLAW GOVERNMENT.

What type of example are they setting for law-abiding citizens? That it is OK to flout the law? That a court's decisions mean nothing? Of course, that is what they are implying. Don't like a woman's right to choose? Ignore the courts. Don't like gay rights? Ignore the courts and basic human rights principles. Don't like international human rights declarations on the child soldier? According to the Harperites, "screw the courts". Just don't cry when it's a white child soldier fighting some ethnic/religious war in some far off land (maybe in Eastern Europe, etc.).

Since day one, the Harper government has thumbed its' collective nose at the law. While talking of being "tough on crime", they feed the masses senseless bullshit about what we like to call "visible crime" (the kind of crime that makes front page news) - even though crime has been dropping to historic lows over the past 10 years - all the time attempting to subvert courts.

Liberals - THIS is your battle call. Your call to arms. We need to better explain to Canadians what the implications of Conservative anti-court statements and actions are all about. We need to explain to Canadians just what the Conservative "tearing apart of Canada and Canadian institutions" is all about.

Harper wants to change this country so no-one will recognize it. The changes can be made from behind the scenes. They talk about this and that being "wasteful", or a waste of "your taxes". They will talk about tax cuts. Easy retail politics. Sure. But NOT the politics of nation building. Not even close.

We must not allow the discussion to slant in Harper's favor. We must present a bookend to EVERY Harper policy. We must do it loud. We must do it with vigor. We must put it on paper. Let Canadians see it, read it, feel it.

Let us not hold back the attacks. Time to fight for our turf, or our turf will shift from below our feet, and over to the right... The slow shift has already begun: The "debate" is occuring on the right. With a vacant NDP Party, not standing for anything on the "left"... With a frightened Bloc... There is no "bookend" to the Conservative argument.

Run from the Center Left, govern from the Center/Center Right. It's always worked for us.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

War is wrong. We need to ensure the words "never again" ring true... That was the whole purpose of Remembrance Day...

Here's Ralph Goodale's take on Remembrance Day:

For the week beginning November 9th, 2009

CANADA’S AMAZING VETERANS!

In an era of so many so-called “super heroes” on television, at the movies or on the internet, you get a distorted picture of what heroism really is.

But during “Veterans Week” every year, we have an opportunity to pay tribute to the real thing – to those courageous Canadian men and women who have actually gone into mortal combat to defend our way of life on battlefields from Vimy Ridge to Juno Beach and Panmunjom; and from Suez to Kosovo and Kandahar.

These are real Canadian heroes.

They know what it is to fight for your life – to put everything you’ve got “on the line” for your home and country, and for countless people you could not possibly know. The extraordinary valour of Canadian veterans has secured our freedom, advanced democracy, protected human rights and given peace a chance.

Two years ago, I learned of a special family of veterans, originally from New Brunswick, but now in Regina. It was the Ryan family, including no fewer than eight brothers who had all enlisted and fought for Canada in WW2 or Korea or both.

Working with the Minister of Veterans Affairs, I prepared a special citation for the Ryans to acknowledge their remarkable service. Through the Royal Canadian Legion, the citation was presented to the last surviving Ryan brother last year.

When news of that presentation circulated, I discovered another local family in similar circumstances – the Wallaces from the Milestone district – eight brothers (Blair, Thomas, Donald, Robin, Malcolm, Hugh, John and James) all of whom responded to their country’s call.

Again, with the help of the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Legion, the Wallace family is receiving their special citation during this Veterans Week. The original eight have all passed away now, but their memory endures.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

It took a massacre at a Montreal University campus to create the very helpful gun registry (don't quote us - ask the Police how many times they use the registry - and you will hear this during the committees).

Seriously though, just what will it take before we "grow up" on this issue? Another massacre? More senseless and needless deaths? Just how much is even ONE human life worth saving?

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Opposing a civilized idea like the long gun registry is NOT a Liberal/liberal value. If you think it is, you are not a liberal (or Liberal).

If you "choose" to support the Conservative Bill, here's what you can count on from real Liberals:

1) We will not attend your events

2) We will not attend events that you are attending (we'll be starting a Facebook group, etc., to encourage boycotting said events)

3) We will ensure someone runs against you in your riding

4) We will ensure a mailing campaign begins to oppose every statement you make in the house.

Perhaps that's an extreme measure. We're not really that extreme. But, face it. If you're "for" killing the registry (and dozens of Canadians in the process), because of the whims of your constituency, then you may as well follow all those "whims": right to choose, same sex marriage, etc. We know your riding probably opposes those liberal ideals as well.

No worries that it is the oppositions DUTY to question the government. No worries about actually working towards a solution. Nope. Just jump up and down, and cry that the opposition is "getting political".

How long will the media and people of Canada sit and watch this amateur buffoonery? How long will we watch the troglodytic, and quite grotesque PM defile the office?

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Great concert (as can be expected from Bono and company). Political messaging abound: from Gandhi, MLK, Bishop Tutu, An Sohng SuXi, the "Red Campaign" (to fight HIV, which U2 and Billy Gates are key sponsors of), etc.

Loved Bono's message urging the 60000+ crowd that WE are the people who have fought for peace and change, be it in North Ireland, the Middle East, Africa, or now, in Iran...

Bono referred to a computer term, and used "Mac" phraseology... I'm sure Bill Gates noticed. He had to - he was sitting right there.

Which brings me to Windows Vista, Windows 7, and just Windows in general...

Why, Bill? Why don't your OS's work? I had half a mind to ask you myself last week... Your box was... right... there... so close... I would love to bring a KISS philosophy to MS. There is so much potential for such a great company, with so many great causes it supports...

I started my IT life on the Timex/Sinclair OS, then the IBM PS2 OS, moving to Windows in the 90s. Windows 98 was perhaps the best of the bunch. ME was "scary" at best. XP? How many cracks or SPs does one need? Vista?

Vista?

I spent the better part of a day troubleshooting a client PC that won't "boot" into Vista. Looking on the web, and I see that it is a common problem. I mean REALLY common. So common that PC techs were dual booting into XP (that "great, stable" OS of the past). Tried at least a dozen fixes, and still nothing... Can't even get to restore, and unable to reinstall the OS (not that one would want to - I'm going to advise Ubuntu)...

Is it really too much to ask that someone create a bullet-proof OS that does what everyone needs? We pay so much for authentic copies of these OS's (mind you, we know MS thrives on the "illegal" copies that young compu-rats scam for their home-jobber PC builds).

Seems this argument worked it's way through my mind a couple of years ago. After spending university years working with PCs, I was able to work with Macs during a college stint at the phone company. I went on to do post grad work in software, and using C++, VB, Java, Oracle, etc. Sticking to the PC world, I was able to spend time working in a large tech support/IT department for a few years.

Back in the business world, and self-employed, I was in the market for a new "PC". Sick of fixing my - and everyone else's - PC, I went Mac. I bought my current Macbook, and haven't looked back. I'll soon be buying an iMac and/or MacMini. My business works better with these machines. I "Time-machine" to back up regularly, and have yet to have any issues (had this Macbook two years now)... If I really miss the aches, pains and hardships of Vista, I can "dual boot" my Intel Mac, and run a copy of whatever OS I feel (although, why bother, since I can do anything on my Mac - and then some - far better for photo editing, video, graphic content, etc.).

Isn't it great when companies can make gadgets that actually WORK, and LAST? C'mon Bill, we know you're a genius. Instead of trying to immitate the Mac OS (Windows 7), why not just go visit Steve and see if you can license his OS?

For the good of civilized society... For the good of "a just society"... For the good of our party and party traditions, and all we stand for... We must stand and vigorously oppose the so-called "Private Member's Bill" C-391. The dregs and neanderthals of society would have us go back to a more primitive time. They would have us bid farewell to common sense and decency in favor of "appearances" and political expediency (in certain ridings).

Canadians want tighter gun control that works. A Liberal Party that does not wholly, angrily, and tactfully oppose this measure is NOT a liberal party.

Let's not give up all the glorious history our party has compiled, for the benefit of a handful of MPs who feel this is the only issue that will hold their seat. This party has had it's greatest success when we question the "common thought", and challenge it with new and civilized ideas... If we don't bring a debate to Canadians, there won't be a debate, and we keep sliding down the slippery slope of a nation that thinks it is "America light", replete with gun-totin' "rights", private everything, and a lust for all things violent and egocentric.

Keep this in mind, as it bears constant repetition: This party has had it's greatest success when we question the "common thought", and challenge it with new and civilized ideas.

It is what we - the Liberal Party - have always been about.

Let's open and lead the national debate. Let's fight the "idiot nation" of the NeoCon mindset.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Another great Goodale Weekly Update. Harper spent his millions on partisan political ads about his bogus "Action Plan", while Canadians died with little info about the flu, and less vaccine available than the US:

NO EXCUSE FOR FLU PANDEMONIUM

The federal response to the H1N1 flu pandemic has been botched. And the health of Canadians has been jeopardized as a consequence.

The confusion and worry across the country are reflected almost every night on national television newscasts. Anxious people have been standing in line-ups for hours, even days, at vaccination stations. Provincial health care workers are under siege.

And sadly, some people have died – including otherwise healthy teenage hockey players and others – before they could be vaccinated.

How could there possibly be delays and shortages in vaccine supplies now, after so many months of unmistakable warnings?

The first H1N1 outbreak occurred last March in Mexico. The World Health Organization immediately went on pandemic alert. The Liberal Official Opposition began asking pointed questions in Parliament in April. We were repeatedly told not to worry; everything was totally under control.

In early May, Canadian scientists beat the rest of the world in “mapping the genetic code” of the H1N1 virus, paving the way to the right vaccine.

But it was the United States, not Canada, that placed the world’s first order for the mass production of vaccine supplies. That was in late May. Many other countries followed suit.

Shockingly, the Conservative did not place an order for Canada until August. That was three months after our genetic mapping breakthrough. We dropped tragically behind the rest of the world, and the Canadian roll-out of vaccine supplies has been late, hesitant and confusing.

People naturally wonder “what might have been”, IF Canada had placed its first vaccine order back in May, like the Americans did.

Provincial authorities and health care workers are doing their best to cope. But they’ve been badly let down by a federal government that falsely assured everyone that everything was just fine – when clearly, it was not!

Monday, October 26, 2009

It’s bad enough that Stephen Harper plunged Canada back into deficit again, BEFORE there was any recession.

It’s even worse that Conservative behaviour during the recession has been constantly tainted by ethical violations.

A lot of honest, hard-working Canadians are worried about their jobs, the well-being of their families, and the security of their pensions. They have every right to expect their government will work as hard and honestly as they do.

But instead, this government delivers an orgy of partisanship, favouritism and waste.

Four independent news organizations (the Globe and Mail, the Halifax Herald, the Ottawa Citizen and the CBC) have investigated and verified Liberal research showing how federal infrastructure announcements are heavily skewed toward Conservative ridings.

More than 60 Conservative M.P.’s have been involved in phony cheque presentations, using party logos and false signatures to imply the Government of Canada and the Conservative Party are the same thing. (Once caught, at least six of these Conservatives have admitted their wrong-doing).

Beyond phony cheques and glitzy signs on everything from commuter trains to door knobs, the Conservatives have launched the most twisted and partisan advertising blitz in Canadian history. The cost will soon reach $100 million – maybe more – all of it borrowed and all of it at taxpayers’ expense.

Instead of outrageous Conservative propaganda, that money could have put new MRI machines in 50 hospitals. It could have paid the salaries of more than 1,600 nurses. That money could have funded 33,000 hip, knee or cataract surgeries, or 14,000 insulin pumps for kids with juvenile diabetes.

A hundred million dollars would pay for 1,000 new units of affordable housing, or three million bus passes for low income seniors, or the tuition fees of nearly 17,000 students.